Why do special forces get a shaving exemption?

[mr715]

Legit question. Is it a privilege of being elite? I know a bunch of rangers. They all seem to know how to shave. I thought it was the marines that ate crayons.

Is there a tactical reason why they can keep their beards?


Will this apply to Coast Guardians under the management of the DHS in times of peace?


Man oh man is Pete Hegseth over his head. The "Secretary of War" must have a major testosterone deficiency.

[haele]

1. They get to keep their beards because it makes them look tough and outdoorsy

Manly men who can vanish into the wilderness, seas, or mountains.
It's a form of sympathetic magic.
If your army guys look like the sharp GI Joe army dolls you grew up with, they're going to be good GI Joe type soldiers.

[mr715]

7. Yeah well I skip shaving to look alpha

and I end up just looking like a wizard

[haele]

8. Gandalf or Tom Bombedil?

Or something whispy and evil? Lol

[mr715]

9. I mean it aint bad.

I have a nice shock of white through it, but the beard is more an act of laziness than fashion.

[rso]

3. Special Forces

Because they often operate covertly overseas, so they avoid the customary, typical military haircuts.

[mr715]

6. thanks

Still, not exactly worthy of a meeting of the entire leadership of the US military leadership.

Plus, isn't the the intelligence community into blending in? Or, put a different way, isn't it bad tactics to broadcast that our special forces are going to be the only people with American accents and beards?

[RockRaven]

4. To leave open the possibility of blending in, where people are not clean-shaven, for one.

Facial hair grows fast, but not fast enough to generate it on demand as the situation requires. The reverse direction (shaving) is the quick one if the situation demanded it.

To eliminate an avoidable source of infection/injury when sanitation is less than pristine as may often be the case in the field (clean treated water for bathing/shaving not expected to be available always).

To obscure facial features from foes and any cameras to reduce identification potential.

To allow identification as special boys amongst friends and allies.

I'm sure there are others.

[mr715]

5. Understood. nt

[Sewa]

10. They blended in really well during the failed mission

In North Korea 🥸

[Melon]

11. Because they operate clandestinely and also meet with officials of cultures where beards are the norm

They don’t always have that privilege. I believe that they are required to shave when based domestically.